Because I am planning to run the heavier SK 5055 580kv motor on 5S, I don't expect my tail wheel will dramatically effect the already tail heavy issue? In fact, when everything is done, I won't be surprised I might have to remove some, or all of those weights already embedded in the cowl? With that in mind, I started my tail wheel mod. From what I've learned from my first two builds, (P-51 & P-47), the Corsair was going to be a breeze!

I once again used the PZ #15090/312 E-Tract. I flipped it around so the gear would retract towards the front instead of the scale rearward inclination for 2 reasons. One: There is more room to retract the gear forward into the fuse and not require having to weaken the tail section by removing additional foam towards the rear. Second: With the tail wheel deployed I wanted the weight transferred to the back stop of the retract arm as opposed to all the force that would be applied to the worm drive in the opposite direction.

I GG the mounting flange on top of the ledge inside the tail wheel compartment. Because that would move the assembly deeper, I had to machine an additional 3/16" length to the strut leg to achieve the height I wanted for the wheel to clear the fuse when deployed and give it a proper stance. Once I got the tail wheel done, I lengthened both the E-Tract and steering servo leads to the length I needed to reach the RX, and the tail wheel was done.

Now it was time to start on the bay doors. Once I got the framing done, I wanted the doors to conform to the curvature of the of the tail section. I made a die/mold out of a piece of 2 x 4 pine cut and shaped to the exact proportion and curvature of the opening. I then took a piece of 1/16" balsa, banded it to the die/mold, soaked in some hot water, and let it to sit and dry. Once the doors dried, it was just a matter of cutting and fitting to the desired dimensions, setting the hinges, and mounting the springs. I have found that the 180 x .109 x .012 torsion springs from McCaster-Carr have just the right tension for the doors. I made some A hangers to hold them in place and epoxied everything in place. Before I glued the door assembly in place I painted the interior section with MM Interior Green #FS34151. The exterior will be white once the Marines Dream paint scheme is applied. Once the doors were glued in, I installed the actuator string to the tension I needed, and the tail wheel/bay door mod was complete!

Do you use separate mixed channels for the tail wheel and rudder? Or just the same channel?

Is the screw through the servo arm that connects to the wheel bracket in a slot or a hole? I'm just trying to figure out how it works and I'm dense enough that it isn't obvious. I've tried a couple of different things that weren't anywhere near as clean as this.